1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of data processing systems and in particular to the field of transferring documents among users within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method for creating an identifying reference for a particular document and transmitting only that identifying reference to selected users, wherein transmission efficiency is improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in existing data processing systems to permit the transfer of documents among many users within the system. Further, a user may simultaneously transmit a single document to multiple users within a data processing system. While such systems operate efficiently and rapidly, a degradation in system efficiency occurs when a user desires to transmit a large document to many users simultaneously. This problem creates an additional difficulty when a substantial number of the intended recipients do not desire to receive the document or wish to subsequently access the document when a need arises. The system efficiency is greatly diminished in such instances where large documents comprising many pages of information are simultaneously transmitted to multiple users, one or more of whom do not desire to receive the document.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for a method whereby a large document may be created and stored for possible access by any intended recipient within the data processing network and wherein the existence of the document in question and the method for accessing that document may be distributed by an identifying reference to the document which includes, at least, the location wherein the document is stored. In this manner a large document may be created and efficiently distributed to a large number of intended recipients by notifying each intended recipient of the existence of the document and the location whereby the document may be obtained. Thereafter, only those intended recipients who desire to access the document will transmit a copy of the document from the stored location to each intended recipients' location. In this manner data processing system network efficiency is greatly enhanced.
It is also well known in the data processing system art for an originator of a document to request a confirmation that the document has been received by an intended recipient. As those skilled in the art will appreciate upon reference to the foregoing this system will not permit an originator of a document to confirm that an intended recipient of the document has received the document if only an identifying reference has been transmitted. Therefore, it should be apparent that a need exists whereby the originator of a document which is stored and transmitted by means of an identifying reference may confirm that an intended recipient of that document has accessed and copied the document at some time in the future.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for a method whereby large documents may be rapidly and efficiently transmitted throughout a data processing network to only those intended recipients who desire a copy of the document, while making the document itself available to an entire list of intended recipients.
Therefore, it should be obvious that a need exists for a method whereby an identifying reference which includes the location of a document is transmitted to users instead of the entire document, thereby, transferring the document to only those users wanting a copy of it.